An Unfortunate Incident

Asher Brown was an intelligent thirteen year old eighth grader. He attended Hamilton Middle School in Houston, Texas, always brought home school progress reports that consisted of As, and was actively involved with tennis. Both of Asher’s parents loved him and were accepting when he disclosed that he was gay. Life seems perfect for the eight grader, right? Not exactly. Asher was a victim of bullying and according to Asher’s family he was “bullied to death.” He was picked on because of his religion, his small size, and because he did not wear designer clothes. Students also accused him of being gay and harshly mocked him in his physical education class. The day before his suicide was Asher’s most recent humiliation and torment. As Asher was walking down a flight of stairs, a student tripped him and he fell down and hit the stairway landing. David and Amy Truong, Asher’s parents, said, “Asher went to retrieve his bookbag, when another student kicked his books everywhere and then kicked him down the remaining flights of stairs” (O’Hare 1).

Asher Brown's memorial service

Asher Brown was found dead on the floor of his stepfather’s closet in the family’s house on Thursday, September 23, 2010 at about 4:30 p.m. He used his stepfather’s 9 mm Beretta and left behind no note. Both of his parents visited the school several times to complain about the bullying and made numerous phone calls that were never answered. When Kelli Durham, the school district spokeswoman, said, “No students, school employees, or the boy’s parents ever reported that he was being bullied,” Amy and David Truong were furious and claimed they want justice. “The people here need to be held responsible and be stopped. It did happen. There are witnesses everywhere” (O’Hare 1).

What is Bullying?

Asher Brown’s heartbreaking tragedy illustrates that bullying is a major problem in schools amongst children as well as teenagers and it needs to be prevented. In order to do this, school administrators need to become more involved and conduct seminars and programs regarding the issue of bullying for parents as well as children.

Bullying is a form of mental or physical abuse, that occurs when a person or a group of people repeatedly try to harm someone who they think is weaker (“Bullying” 1). It often goes unnoticed because it is known to be a part of growing up, but what some people do not realize is that it can be harmful. Bullying causes children and even teenagers to live in fear and depression, and in some cases causes them to avoid going to school. Some children feel so frightened that they feel the need to take drastic measures such as suicide or become so frustrated that they decide to take revenge. Bullying has recently been a growing concern. In fact, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study, “on an average school day, three out of 10 American youngsters in grades six through ten are involved in bullying-as perpetrators, victims, or both” (Greenya 102).

Our Modern Day Society

In our every day society and American culture, sometimes abusiveness is accepted as a way to get ahead in life. Television shows such as House, Scrubs, and ER, all portray rude and arrogant doctors who verbally abuse and humiliate others. Teen movies usually depict the most popular students, such as the cheerleaders and athletes, as bullies. Jaana Juvonen, a psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) who studies school culture, says, “Studies even confirm that school bullies are often star athletes or class leaders, popular with students, teachers and administrators who are often reluctant to discipline them. Classmates are not keen to affiliate with a bully, but they recognize that these people have social capital and power” (Greenya, 103). When someone is on top of the school, they are known to be the most popular, and have the most power. Sometimes high schools are divided into cliques, and if you are not with the “popular kids” then you are considered an outsider.

We have grown up in a judgmental civilization, where we often poke fun at others who seem different from what we consider the “norm.” In the famous incident at Rutgers University, Tyler Clementi, an 18 year old freshman, committed suicide when he discovered that his roommate recorded him with another male and posted videos on the internet (Schwartz 1). This incident has recently increased awareness on cyberbullying and internet privacy. In this modern day society, with the increase in technology, this is becoming more dangerous amongst the younger generation especially with websites such as facebook, twitter, etc, where one can post or write anything about anyone.

This is a video that depicts how one girl was cyberbullied by her other classmates. It shows how far people are willing to go.

What is Going on with our Schools?

Bullying has occurred for many years throughout the country, but has recently received an increasing awareness. Many people do think of bullying as a major concern and it is often overlooked because it’s human nature to tease another person. In fact, in a way, we are all bullies, because we are immersed in this society, where there is nothing but competition, and one must compete in order to get ahead in life. Bullying occurs all the time even in politics, in which candidates bully each other and present ideas about each other that could harm their opponent’s chances of winning.

However, often times when children or teenagers get bullied it often leads to dire consequences, whether its depression or as fatal as suicide and when deaths amongst young children occur, people need to wake up and realize this is a very important issue. A major problem and the reason why bullying persists is because the school administration is slow to act or does not get involved at all. “Less than one in four schools has any real bullying-prevention programs,” says Sanford A. Newman, the president of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. “It's clear that not enough is being done. There are still 3.2 million kids being bullied each year in America and 3.7 million who are bullying other children” (Greenya 108). Students spend half of their day in school and consider it their second home; therefore, they need to feel safe and feel like they belong. When the school faculty refuses to pay attention to issues like bullying, they are creating an unsafe environment for the victim, who becomes frightened of coming to school. In cases such as Asher Brown’s, the parents of the victim were furious because the school did not inform them about what was going on with their child, and when Asher Brown’s parents complained to the school, they received no response.

What Needs To Be Done

With the increase in suicide rates amongst children, many states such as Mississippi and Georgia have laws that are being passed, requiring districts to have a bully prevention policy (Staples 1). New Jersey has also recently passed an anti-bullying law through the State Education Committee following the death of Rutgers University student, Tyler Clementi. Unfortunately, there are still some states that do not have anti-bullying laws, which tell us that it is still an issue that is overlooked and ignored despite the numerous amounts of suicide cases from bullying. In order to completely prevent this issue, in addition to passing laws, it is also important to take action and educate children from a young age. This is important because in order to prevent bullying in the future, it is imperative to teach children that it is not tolerable at an early age. Bullies are individuals who have an increased possibility of becoming criminals or engaging in criminal activities in the future. Therefore, it is best to teach children that it is wrong and will not be accepted in our society.

Programs need to be created for children as well as teenagers similar to the ones created by the Jewish organization, JWI, which educates teenagers about health relationships and domestic violence (Jacobs 1). These programs should be mandatory for every child across the country, whether they are currently bullied or not and should be held at least once a week, consisting of faculty members who are willing to talk privately to any student who is a victim of bullying or has any questions. The issue of bullying needs to be given more awareness in schools and in health classes the same way alcohol, drugs, and AIDS is given importance. Many people would object to this idea and say that is it not necessary for every child to take part of this program or even for their child’s school to have such a program because no act of bullying ever occurred in the school. However, they do not realize that in most schools across the country, children get bullied and in order to prevent this from occurring in the future, children need to learn at a young age that it is wrong and can have negative consequences.

Works Cited

“Bullying.” Medline Plus: Trusted Health Information for you. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. 22 October 2010. Web. 24 October 2010.

Greenya, John. "Bullying." CQ Researcher 15.5 (2005): 101-124. CQ Researcher. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. <http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2005020400>.

Jacobs, M. "Beating Bullies." Baltimore Jewish Times 316.7 (2010): 9. Web. 4 November 2010.

O’Hare, Peggy. “Parents say bullies drove their son to take his life.” Houston Chronicle. 29

September 2010. Web. 11 November 2010.

Paul, P. “The Playground Gets Even Tougher.” New York Times (2010): 3. Web. 4 November 2010.

Schwartz, J. “Bullying, Suicide, Punishment.” New York Times (2010): 1. Web. 4 November 2010.

Siebecker, A. "Victimization and Internalizing Problems: Examining the Experience of Repeated Bullying, Anxiety, and Depression." Ph.D. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2009. United States -- Nebraska: Web. 31 October 2010.

St. Claire, Jane. “What Causes Bullying?” By Parents for parents: Online parenting resources

for parents of teens. n.d. Web. 24 October 2010.

Staples, Gracie B. "Fighting Back Against Bullies: 'Issue that Still Needs a Lot of Attention.' Seminar at Elementary School Teaches Ways to Stop Social Aggression." The Atlanta Journal - Constitution: D.1. Nov 3 2010. Web. 4 November 2010.

In the past, psychologists believed that bullies had low self-esteem, which is why they would put others down, in order to make themselves feel better. However, new research shows that bullies have a high self-esteem and instead enjoy their superiority over others (St. Clair 1). In a certain way, bullies are sadistic because they enjoy seeing others in pain and have a lack of compassion. To them, bullying is like an anger management tool, one in which they can remove their anger. Bullying can also be caused by jealousy, mental issues, or even because the bully was a victim of another bully or abused by certain family members.

All bullies have a dominating attitude and view the weak as their prey. They lack empathy, blame others, and do not accept responsibility for their actions. However, a bully is not born this way, and sometimes feels they have no choice under the influence of the environment or even certain genetic traits such as attention deficient hyperactive disorder. Children who have this disorder are more aggressive and are more likely to become bullies. Sometimes bullies are the victims of bullying themselves. According to Dr. Peter Sheras a clinical psychologist and the associate director of the Virginia Youth Violence Project at the University of Virginia, “Forty percent of bullies are themselves bullied at home or in school” (St. Clair 1).

In the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre in Denver, two students, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris massacred about 12 students and a teacher and then killed themselves. It was later found that both of these students were previously bullied and had homophobic remarks said to them (Greenya, 102). Even though, these factors can influence bullying, it can be prevented. Bullying is a learned behavior, not a character trait. Therefore, bullies can learn to reduce their aggressiveness and handle their conflicts by engaging in other activities such as sports, or even art.

Yet Another Case of Bullying

According to a study conducted by Amanda Siebecker, a PhD at the University of Nebraska, people who were bullied repeatedly over a vast duration showed a higher level of depression compared to those who were not bullied as frequently (Siebecker 1-143). Students who are bullied repeatedly are more likely to become depressed and even have suicidal thoughts. An example that demonstrates the issue of bullying is the case of a young girl named Caroline Port. She was nine years old and had just begun a private elementary school in suburban St. Louis, when she began to wake up with night terrors, and began to sleepwalk. Her mother, Karen, met with Caroline’s teacher, only to find that her daughter was being tormented.

Karen was upset and shocked that no one informed her about what was going on in the school. What was even worse was that no one ever came to Caroline’s birthday parties or played with her. She was only seven years old when she told her mother, “I hate myself” (Paul 1). Many children as well as teenagers think that it is funny to tease or bother a person, especially if that person is different from them. In this example, a girl as young as nine years old said she hated herself. When a girl as young as Caroline says something like that, it should be evident that action needs to be taken to prevent this concern.

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